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The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect on May 25, 2018. If you’re a marketer, you’re probably already aware that this regulation will affect how you interact with your consumers across multiple touchpoints – but that’s not all. The way your consumers behave online in general is also going to change. Following data breaches, fake news, and the rise of social media bots, consumers are going to be extra wary of how their personal data is being used by marketers and salespeople in the future.

If you are a digital marketer, it’s important to understand how this law will change people’s behavior on social media so you can adjust and tailor your strategies accordingly. We asked seven digital marketing experts across different industries and segments to weigh in on how they predict GDPR is going to affect consumer behavior on social media.

Here’s what they said:

Consent is key.

“Because businesses have to implement an opt-in policy and gain consumers’ consent to process their personal data, a smaller but highly relevant segment of consumers who are genuinely interested in your products or services will choose to engage with you.”

“GDPR requires level of transparency and explicit consent to sending marketing emails to consumers. This will likely contribute to a higher level of engagement because brands will be connecting with those who unambiguously stated that they want to receive communications from them. I suspect it will lead to a higher quality of interaction between consumers and brands.”

Power to the people – and their data.

“People will feel empowered by the right to choose where their data goes and why. As a consumer, I love the idea of being able to truly opt-out of getting irrelevant information. I think that databases will be whittled away, but the people who remain will be there because they value your messages. That’s golden!”

“Consumers will have a better understanding of how they can manage and control the information they provide to brands, so they will be much more careful with what they share and who will get their data.”

“Consumers will be more aware of their rights in terms of data privacy and will be quick to react when they feel that brands are collecting data they don’t feel they have a right to and/or using this data in a way that the consumer does not agree with. I think consumers in Europe will question the brands more when handing over the data and when they have the data.”

Trust is earned, not expected.

“With trust at an all-time low, expect consumers, including former buyers and employees, to continue to reduce their information sharing with every aspect of your business, not just marketing. Among the areas that will be affected are addressable lists, banking and credit cards, human relations, social media interactions, and data appends.”

Just kidding – NBD.

“It’s important to understand the impact of GDPR. And it’s important to make sure your organization is compliant. But I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that GDPR is the new Y2K. By that, I mean that there’s a lot more heat about GDPR than is actually necessary. The world isn’t coming to an end, people. It’s just a new regulation. Get with the program and then get back to work.”

In summary, the experts predict that consumers will be much more careful about who they share their information with and who they engage with on social media. They will look for brands to be transparent and open about how their personal data will be used, and may be over-reactive if they feel a brand is using their data in a way that is not favorable. The good news is that online interactions could become more authentic and meaningful, the bad news is that it may be more difficult to hone your consumer relationships until they know they can trust you.

So, what do you think? Will GDPR really change social behavior as we know it or is it all a bunch of hype? Only time will tell, but if you’re struggling to make sense of it all, stay tuned for part 2 of this post where we’ll share 7 tips from the same experts to adjust to these changing social behaviors. And make sure you check out our GDPR Survival Guide for marketers!

Got questions about GDPR and how it will affect your brand? Get in touch with us – we’re happy to help!

In part one of this post, we shared 7 predictions from digital marketing experts on how GDPR will affect the way your consumers behave on social media. Now let’s talk solutions: we asked the best and the brightest for their tips on how marketers can adapt their strategies to be more effective in (and compliant) in a post-GDPR social world.

Before we get started, here are a few resources for you to roll up your sleeves and dive into:

Tip #1: Quality over quantity

“GDPR creates an opportunity for companies to focus on the quality of their interactions with consumers rather than quantity of their blasts to potential consumers. It’s an opportunity for companies to examine their privacy policies, security practices, and to communicate that respect to their audience along with quality content.”

Action: Tone down the email blasts and focus on highly-targeted, valuable content, such as how-to guides that speak directly to your consumers’ pain points.

Tip #2: Get on your consumer’s level

“I think it’s key for brands to align themselves with the consumer on this issue. Be a champion of privacy for the sake of your customers. The top of the sales funnel may be smaller, but the middle and bottom will still be composed of people who want to communicate with you.”

Action: Don’t be afraid to reach out directly to your consumers via social media and ask how they feel about your brand and if there’s anything you could be doing better regarding privacy and transparency.

Tip #3: Work hard to build trust

“Brands will need to work harder to build stronger relationships with their customers that are built on trust. This means understanding and being mindful of the customer experience at every step of their journey with you.”

Action: Put yourself in your consumer’s shoes and look at your brand through their eyes. Ask yourself “Would I trust this brand enough to buy from them? Why or why not?” and adjust accordingly.

Tip #4: Revisit your processes

“A brand wants to build trust with the consumer, so being transparent about their processes and how they deal with personal data is important. GDPR gives brands an opportunity to improve their security, tighten up their processes and make sure that they only have the data that is required and approved.”

Action: Create tailored landing pages to communicate the value of your content to a targeted audience, and a try out a welcome email series to send to potential leads that feels more conversational and less pushy.

Tip #6: Above all else, be transparent

“I think the whole basis of GDPR is transparency and I think those brands that are open and up front about the way they work and the things they do already have a head start. If transparency and authenticity is in your brand DNA then GDPR will pose no problems to you at all.”

Action: Communicate authentically with your consumers, admit when you’re wrong, and tell them how you plan to improve. And don’t forget to take a stand on important issues and communicate your stance on social.

Tip #7: Go back to basics

“Go back to basics and get creative. Determine effective sampling strategies, use primary research and data collection methods, and don’t forget that social media can still be used to augment these efforts! Just because someone doesn’t share their data, doesn’t mean they won’t respond to a Twitter poll!”

“Understand your ‘why.’ When I just started my social media journey, I didn’t have a clear understanding of why I wanted to be on social media other than interacting with my students. I didn’t see a big picture. I was chasing one shiny object after another. My content creation was not consistent and my message was not cohesive. I was all over the place and talking about all sorts of random things, from vegan food, parenting, teaching, traveling, education, to social media. Fast forward to today, I am so thankful that I have finally figured out my ‘why,’ which has substantially helped my content creation. I have become a lot more strategic and purposeful with my social media efforts. Every piece of content I create, I keep my audience in mind and try my best to provide as much value as possible. I see a huge difference in my overall social media results.”

Each episode of this Facebook live show takes three hours on average to complete starting with the prep work and ending with the completion of the live interview.

Here are more insights on the approach behind this show with its host Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang, a professor at Stockton University, blogger and consultant.

What’s the process from behind the scenes?

"When going live with a guest or interviewing an expert on a specific topic, it can take hours to prepare, find the guest, prepare interview questions and finally host the interview live. When I did my first Facebook live streaming interview with a professor who was interviewed by NPR, it took me probably a few days to get prepared. I spent lots of time trying to find the best guest for my first episode and also figuring out the technical side. I experimented with going live natively on Facebook first and later started using third-party tools such as Zoom and BeLive. It took me several live streaming sessions to eventually decide on the platform that works best for me. Now, as my show has gained some traction and more engagement, I recently invested in a ring light and microphone to enhance my audio-visual quality. Nowadays, it takes me about three hours to prepare a live streaming interview."

What part of the process is the most time-consuming?

"The technical side and being in front of a camera are no longer challenges for me. The most time-consuming part is content preparation. When I go live solo, I want to make sure that I have good content to share by having an outline to list the main points I want to discuss. I don’t want to waste anyone’s time especially given how much noise is on social media already. When I do a live interview shows on Facebook, I can spend hours consuming a specific guest’s content. However, I am enjoying this process and I love getting to know my guests. That whole process really enhances the value of my show. I try to always keep my community and audience in mind."

Why have you taken this particular approach to content?

"I was on Snapchat on a daily basis and spent hours there connecting with people and telling stories. Snapchat helped me become much more comfortable with being on camera and got me hooked on digital storytelling in a much more interactive and intimate way. After about two years on Snapchat, it is kind of a natural step for me to bring my storytelling to a more public platform. Plus, my audience is on Facebook, which I realized over time. I want to engage with my audience more and serve them better. Hence, I developed the idea of hosting a weekly Facebook live show focusing on my passion and expertise. My show has helped me build a community who openly shares and co-creates content with me. To me, that’s my favorite part of being on social media."

Has the process gotten easier over time or more difficult?

"A hundred percent easier. The first time you do anything it’ll be challenging. As I continue to practice my live streaming craft, I am becoming a lot more efficient and effective at sharing my content with my community and providing value."

Social Media Marketing World is the premier event for all social media marketers. This year it’s taking place in San Diego from Wednesday February 28th to Friday, March 2nd, 2018. It provides a unique opportunity for marketers to learn from leading industry experts and network with thousands of marketing professionals. If you’re keen to keep up to date with the ever-changing nature of social media and discover the latest tactics, this is the place to be.

We wanted to add to this analysis and look at the wider social media conversation among an audience of nearly 16K social media marketers to collate a list of who is driving the most influence across all social media marketing related topics in the run up to the conference.

TWITTER INFLUENCERS 1-50

-- By Will Deyamport, III, Ed.D, Instructional Technologist and Host of the Dr. Will Show

Do you know what your digital footprint is? This is a topic I had the pleasure of discussing with Dr. Ai Zhang, Associate Professor of Communications for Stockton University, Facebook Show Live Host of “Classroom Without Walls” and Social Media Pedagogy Consultant.

We start our discussion by defining what a digital footprint is and the impact it can have not only in our daily lives but also in our careers. Dr. Ai identifies a footprint as a “personal ID, much like a passport.” Without it, we can’t go anywhere when it comes to online spaces. But with them, we are able to tell our stories instead of letting others do it for us.

Your Digital Footprint is Real

You can either allow what is posted by others to be what others see of you, or you can get out in front by creating content that reflects what you want others to think of you and the work you do.

Dr. Ai and I discuss the power of your smartphone. There is no need to purchase any expensive equipment. Your iPhone or Android device is everything you need to take pictures, shoot short video clips, make memes, and post your ideas on any or all social channels.

Our conversation then looks forward to how we can build our own digital footprint. Dr. Ai starts with, “Understand your why.” She poses the question, “What is your end goal for having a digital footprint?” This is important to consider when posting or creating content online.

Before posting online, however, Dr. Ai and I both agree that it’s important to not get overwhelmed by the plethora of social media platforms. “Choose one and slowly add other platforms,” suggests Dr. Ai. Choose strategically and slowly build up. But most importantly, “Just get started!”

One of These Things is Not Like the Other

Each social platform has a different rhythm and audience. First, know thyself and jump all in with the platform that fits your messaging and how you like to communicate. Never feel compelled to be on every site.

If Twitter isn’t your thing, then stay away from Twitter. You aren’t going to gain anything by having a profile on a social network that you don’t stay actively involved with. What’s most important is that you are consistent in when and what you post and how you engage your followers.

Content is Key to Owning Your Story

Creating a narrative is also crucial as you are more present online. Dr. Ai has always followed the 80/20 rule, where she creates content for 80 percent and shares other content for the remaining 20 percent.

However, Dr. Ai also mentions a flipped formula where 20 percent is spent on creating content, and 80 percent is dedicated to marketing that content. Whichever route you take, either formula pushes you to create content, promote it, and therefore have more control over how your story is told or shared online.

Our discussion of what we create and share ultimately led us to address the fact that your life offline can impact your online presence or reputation. We need to be cautious of what we do in our personal lives and be mindful of what can end up online. “We as educators need to walk the talk,” Dr. Ai urges. “Nothing is private anymore.”

In this mobile, global, connected age we live in, it is worth considering what you want your digital footprint to be. Do you want to be known for blended learning or curriculum development or integrating G-Suite Apps into the ELA classroom? Maybe you just want to share your experiences in hopes they may be helpful to others.

Whatever your endgame is, create content that showcases your knowledge and expertise—content that positions you as an authority (or a learner alongside the reader/viewer). By taking the reins and owning your digital footprint, you have control over your own story and the stories told about the ideas and projects you care about.

Owning your digital footprint is also a great way to join in on important conversations and make life-changing connections with others around the world. You just never know what doors this might open.

Expert views on the trend toward “natural”

- “I am currently in South Korea. I am constantly shocked by how much Korean women look up to Americans as their beauty standards. Having plastic surgeries to have western looks is as common as going to restaurants to eat. Many local people told me that parents give their kids money to get their faces fixed as birthday gifts!

“As a mom, I cannot imagine instilling such values in my kids. So, as people over all the world are more connected than ever, I do hope brands like CVS understand that their message of beauty has not only local impact but a global one, as well.”

- Dr. Zhang is a digital consultant. She served as a professor at Stockton University in the Philadelphia area before moving to South Korea. Dr. Zhang was recognized as top social media blogger at Medium and host “Classroom Without Walls.” The show features experts in higher education and how they use social media to incorporate in their classes. It airs Wednesdays at 5 p.m. eastern time on Facebook Live.

We love our Academy students, and we especially love receiving feedback from all of them. And one piece of feedback we’ve heard loud and clear is that we need to offer a social media certification course.

Finally, it’s here!

Doing business using inbound is to do so in a helpful, human, and holistic way. And what better way to do that than by using social media? That's where I come in, as the social media professor for HubSpot Academy.

I'm so excited that today this new HubSpot Academy certification course goes live. You now have the chance to learn how to use social media to run your inbound business, from marketing to sales to services.

What's included in this course?

The certification course is eight lessons that run a total of four hours and forty minutes long, with a seventy-question test and an exam run-time of about two hours.

The lessons in the course cover social media strategy, social listening and moderating, creating a social content strategy, extending your reach with user-generated content, working with influencers, social customer service, social selling, digital advertising, measuring ROI, governance and risk, and so much more.

Plus, we tapped into the expertise of several social media and digital practitioners, including:

In this Sprocket Talk interview, we talk to Crystal king a HubSpot Academy Social Media Marketing Professor. She is amazing and we get a ton of insight to the new HubSpot Academy certification as well as some social media tips along the way. *** More Information *** Want to learn more about Impulse Creative?

And last, but definitely not least, I worked with Dr. Ai Addyson-Zhang, associate professor of Communication Studies at Stockton University, to develop a downloadable workbook to help you apply the principles of the course to your own studies or toward building your own business.

About Ai Addyson-Zhang

She is hosting a weekly Facebook Live show on Education and technology. She launched the show called Classroom Without Walls: Using Technology to Reimagine Education in June 2017. Every Wednesday 5 pm EST she interviews leading professionals and educators regarding issues related to social media, technology, education, and innovation.

Questions we discussed

Q1 What gave you an idea of starting a Live Show on Facebook?

@garyvee has discussed the importance of operating like a media company for both individuals & brands. An essential component to operating like a media company is producing content. – Live video is a more interactive way to create content & to co-create content.

According to @Cisco’s annual Visual Network Index forecast in 2017, video will represent 82% of all IP traffic in 2021.

Also predicted that live video will grow 15-fold, from 3% of internet video traffic to 13% by 2021. Video is going to dominate.

64% of customers are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video

Digital marketing expert, @jmcquivey, estimated that a single minute of video content = 1.8 million words.

On the other hand, my live video journey didn’t start on Facebook. I was a heavy user of Snapchat which trained me to be comfortable with digital storytelling via videos. Start with a platform that you are comfortable with and slowly incorporate live video.

A1 I am very active on YouTube and when they made it easier to go live I decided to #livestream at least once per week. I look forward to my weekly shows #vcbuzz

Well said. Love that last point. Not everyone is comfortable with video. But the best thing is that we don't have to start with videos right away. We can take things slow until we become more comfortable with a platform. #VCBuzz

People do business with people. Live video allows you to be more human & relatable to your audience. It empowers your audience to be part of the content creation process. It’s cost-effective. All you need is a phone & wifi connection.

A2. I actually grew my audience bit by bit since I started live streaming and I allow them to be a part of the recording process of the podcast #vcbuzz

Live video brings more excitement & emotions to product launches, exclusive offers, etc. My live audience has purchased products from my FB guests even though it was their first time to meet. My audience’s trust in me has helped them trust my guests.

People love unedited & unfiltered content. In this video by Airbnb, they asked their audience to guess the location of the scene. Nobody was even talking in the video. Yet, it generated 617K views & 800+ comments. – Watch it. (That’s a 7-minute video by Airbnb! They didn’t even talk during the entire 7 minutes… frankly speaking, it is a kind of “boring” video. but look at the engagement. crazy. no text msg can do that.)

Q3 What are essential steps for starting a show and then succeeding in it?

Do NOT start with producing content first. Instead, start with the end in mind, ie, your business goals

Understand WHY you want to start a live show

What are your business goals? How is your show going to move you closer to your business goals?

Where does your audience hang out?

Are they on Facebook?

Can you keep up with running a show consistently?

How large is your team?

How much is your budget?

Knowing the why is so important. Otherwise, it's just too easy to give up. #VCBuzz

Exactly! need to know your “why” -> to get you going and to help you be more strategic with your content creation.

Develop a community before you need one to support your content => This is very important. Understand your audience’s needs & pain points => this will help you provide content of value to your community.

No need to invest in fancy equipment right away. Give yourself a few months to test out your ideas before you make a heavy financial investment in equipment. Don’t let equipment be your excuse to not live stream.

Fail to plan; plan to fail => Have a content calendar & book your guests in advance

Research your guest

Send your Qs & logistics to your guests

Send reminders to your guests at least 1 week in advance

Help your guests get comfortable with camera

Live show is interactive & immersive. Invite your audience to help you select guests & interview topics. Give your live audience shoutout. Co-create content with your live audience: ask Qs & inviting them to join the live video chat (possible with BeLive).

BE CONSISTENT => this is the most important one probably. Develop a frequency that works for you and show up! Push the damn button as @iSocialFanz and @ChocolateJohnny say.

In this blog post, I shared 7 tips that can help one launch & succeed in facebook live videos.

I am an introvert and I find it easy to interview people who are experts in their respective career fields #vcbuzz. It helped I had a podcast before launching to a live stream format

Manav Lalotra, an established Digital Media Strategist based in India, did a blog article titled, "Basic Tips to Maximize Reach and Engagement" for content. In his article, he shared four tips, one of which is video. Manav used my Facebook live show as a success story to illustrate the power of video and live streaming in pariticular to maximize the reach and engagement of one's content.

You might not think of educators as entrepreneurs or participants in the new gig economy. For those who do not work in education, a career in the classroom can appear to provide a safety net-a steady income, essential life and healthcare benefits, and a guaranteed role once an educator lands tenure. However, today, this is not the typical case, and many educators are looking outside of their classroom walls for additional or new career paths.

Out of every profession that requires a college degree, those who work in education are most likely to hold down a second role.

As an educator, and in my discussions with colleagues, you will find various reasons why teachers tend to pick up a second gig or transition out of the field. Many teachers state they are burned out, don't make enough money to survive, and some crave a different career path.

Every year, The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) conducts a survey entitled The American Time Use Survey. In the poll, they ask working individuals how they spend their time on the day of the survey, and in the recent past (about a week). They also ask about secondary gigs--wondering if those who are employed full time are working another job within the same week.

In their findings, according to the Brookings Institution teachers (which include elementary and secondary teachers) were approximately 30% more likely than those who do not work in education to work a second job (citing via The Bureau of Labor Statistics).

They also found that elementary school teachers are only a little more likely than non-teachers to have a side job. The difference is more significant for secondary educators.

And, according to CNN, the average salary for US secondary educators (from 2015-2016) is almost the same as it was for the 1995-1996 school year.

If you are an educator, or someone who wants to begin an entrepreneurial journey, you will find there is a lot to learn about business, transferring skills, and finding the courage to take on self-employment.

Meet Ai Addyson-Zhang

One educator who is in the middle of making such life changes outside of her usual routine is Ai Addyson-Zhang, Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Stockton University.

Addyson-Zhang works both inside and outside of her classroom walls-brining purpose and meaning from the world for her growth, to her audience, and back to her students.

Below, she shares her story along with her top suggestions for those who would like to take the entrepreneurial leap.

Addyson-Zhang's new beginning

One year ago, Ai Addyson-Zhang worked comfortably as a tenured professor for almost a decade. She taught social media, public relations, and communication classes, and was considered successful by America's terms-going to work daily, while running a home and a family.

Despite her success, she felt there was much more to accomplish, and a lot of potential areas she hadn’t tapped into yet. As much she loved the comfort of her role, she knew it was time for a radical change-to feel alive and to serve more people.

And, on April 8, 2017, she landed her chance to step into the entrepreneurial world. Due to her husband's job demands, her family relocated from Philadelphia, USA to Seoul, South Korea.

Today, she is still a college professor. However, she has changed her life in various ways. Addyson-Zhang explains, "I am no longer the same college professor I used to be."

She stepped out of her comfort zone, and has successfully added several new titles to her life story.

Classroom Without Walls is based on the foundation that technology and digital media can change how we learn and teach. She believes we cannot use the same model and tools of the 20th-century to prepare and educate talent for the 21st-century. Her initiative is intended to have an encouraging effect on both teachers and students.

Her business also focuses on teaching educators how to learn and leverage social media. She hopes fellow teachers can transform their classroom experience by using social media as a teaching tool. Also, she wants to enhance teachers' careers by providing the resources they need to make more money and scale their impact.

She is a digital learning consultant, an international speaker, an online educator, and she provides workshops and different trainings. She's also working on a book with a fellow educator and the Edupreneurship Academy.

In 2017, Medium nominated her as a top writer in social media along with other experts, such as Gary Vaynerchuk, Larry Kim, and Jeff Higgins. Also, she streams a weekly Facebook show, and has been joined by people from 15 different countries. She's interviewed several high-profile guests such as Mark Schaefer, Brian Fanzo, Deirdre Breakenridge, and Don Wettrick.

Within the last year, she's faced many struggles. However, she also grew more than she thought was possible.

My growth within the last year has surpassed all that I had accomplished through several decades of formal education. And the best part is, I fell in love with the person that I have become-and I feel alive again. This change is how I envision the future of education and the role of educators. We all have expertise that can change, transform, and save lives. The possibilities of building classrooms outside of our formal learning environment motivate me everyday."

Below, Addyson-Zhang shares the top 12 lessons she's learned from her one-year self-reinvention journey from an educator to an edupreneur.

Take care of your health: Love yourself and take care of your health. Self-love is not selfish. Don’t sacrifice your health at the cost of short-term wins. Research has shown that when you are happy and relaxed, you are more likely to be successful and productive. Mindset is key. To master our lives, we must first understand our minds.

Do away with negativity: We are often our own worst enemy. Negative self-talk and the feeling of imposter syndrome can send you into a depressive state rather quickly. Take time to study the laws of the universe and meditate.

Find your confidence: Be confident in yourself and your message. If you are not excited about your work, don’t expect others to follow suit. Only when you start to believe in yourself, your service, or your product, can you begin to convince others to do the same.

Competition: Don’t let your competitors drive your agenda. Instead, focus on your plan. There will always be people above you, behind you, and at your level. Those who are not at your level yet want to learn from you. Focus on the value you can provide to your audience today.

Embrace adversity: Adversity builds strength. Unexpected things will happen to you when you create and find new areas outside of the education world. Remember that you are in the process to find your purpose, share your message, and build a business. For example, people who used to be in your inner circle may leave for reasons that are not in your control. However, losing some people in my world helped me to push my growth and strength to a new level. And, remember as you evolve, your network evolves too. If you have big dreams in life, your vision will keep you going and attract the right people in your life.

Encompass vulnerability: Embrace who you are and understand what makes you vulnerable. Vulnerability creates connectivity and brings out creativity. The scary areas that make you feel weak are the traits that make you unique.

Include vulnerability in your storytelling. Don’t shy away from it. People relate to you better when they know you on a personal level. Nobody is perfect, and we are all immune to failure.

Find your tribe: When you take on new initiatives outside of your norm, it can often feel lonely. Especially in education--friends, colleagues, and family can consider you as an outcast.

However, regardless of where you are in life, there will always be people who judge you and your work. Connect with those who understand and want to work with you. When you find those who support your goals, cherish them.

Network with intention: Be intentional about how you network, and be selective with the people you interact with online and offline.

Remember what Jim Rohn said, 'You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.' Build a tribe of people who can genuinely rejoice in your happiness and support you when things aren't going so well.

Continue to learn: Invest in yourself before you invest in anything or anyone else. You are your biggest asset. Embrace a forever-student mindset, and learn as much as possible. Even if you have a terminal degree in your field, don’t stop your education. The moment you choose to stop learning, you stop growing. There are so many different ways you can learn today. To name a few, you can read books, watch webinars, listen to podcasts, watch Facebook live shows, and participate in Twitter chats.

Map your goals: Have a vision board and visualize daily. When you expect things to happen, they are more likely to come true. Your mind can indeed help influence, if not create, your reality.

Finances: Impact and income are not mutually exclusive. I learned this from a fellow educator, Dr. Will Deyamport. As an educator who has been working in the service industry for a decade, being broke had almost become my norm. I also believed that money was the cause of many of my problems. However, I have come to discover, through becoming an eduprenuer, that money can change and save lives.

And, her work continues. Along with her friend, Chetachi Egwu, they are writing a book that aims to show educators the possibilities outside of academia, and how they can leverage social media to enhance their careers.

Addyson-Zhang states, "I believe that educators need to become practitioners. In fact, everything I do outside the classroom has made me a much better teacher inside the classroom."

You can read her stories online at Medium, follow her live Facebook shows, and learn more about journey on her website.

Top marketing automation platform, HubSpot just held its annual epic convention called INBOUND in Boston, MA last week. HubSpot is a developer and marketer of software products for inbound marketing and sales. It was founded by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah in 2006.

Each year, INBOUND attracts an even larger crowd and 2018 was certainly no exception. #INBOUND18 boasted a whopping 24,000 attendees from all over the world! The growth trajectory for HubSpot and INBOUND has been incredible. I recall just 14,000 attendees in 2015!

INBOUND is one of my favorite industry conferences. It’s extremely well organized. The caliber of speakers and sessions is always high. The range of topics is always diverse and on point. The celebrity headliners are always knowledgeable and terrific speakers with mass appeal that I personally want to see anyway!

I loved Brené Brown’s keynote twice at INBOUND over the past few years. Along with Michelle Obama last year and Deepak Chopra, Shonda Rhimes, Scott Harrison and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie this year.

This was my fourth year in a row speaking at INBOUND, leading two sessions on Facebook marketing. I’m delighted to be the #1 highest impact contributor to the #INBOUND18 hashtag on Twitter, clocking up 124 million impressions. Wowee! Screenshot below from TweetBinder. See the Twitter report for #INBOUND18.

The Top 20 Highest Impact #INBOUND18 Twitter Users

Top 20 pulled from the hashtag analysis report from Metricool – embedded below.

The #INBOUND18 hashtag generated 37,806 tweets with what TweetBinder calls an ‘economic value’ of $902,017. Wow, amazing to see the impact/impressions of my tweets during INBOUND18 amount to over $200k. 😉

See how TweetBinder calculates the economic value of a user and the economic value of tweets. Granted, the numbers are somewhat arbitrary. But, certainly gives some sense of each contributor’s value they brought to a hashtag. 😉

For a number of terrific highlights, I’ve spotlighted a few of my favorite tweets & most popular tweets below:

Day #1 – Tuesday, 5th September

I streamed Deepak Chopra’s opening keynote to my Facebook personal profile. I’ve been following Deepak’s body of work for many years and am a big fan. The beginning of Deepak’s keynote, I was a tad worried it was not going to be a fit for 24,000 marketers/business people, ha! But it quickly became very relevant and I was optimistic that Deepak gave everyone some key takeaways we could all implement straight away… such as the Six Pillars of Physical Wellbeing.

I found & used this old contact sheet for my #Inbound18 presentation yesterday. The many faces of my 30 year old self. What could I say to her now that would have helped her then? I’d start with this: “You will fail, but you will learn. That opens up a path to success.” #TBTpic.twitter.com/jvtSkOIVOY

Wave.video Mixer!

My friends at Wave.video hosted a fun VIP mixer at their offices just a few minutes walk from the BCEC. We had a blast and got a sneak peek at one of Wave.video’s new features — the ability to add STICKERS to your videos.

Ai Addyson-Zhang, a Professor of Communication at Stockton University, shared her valuable knowledge on Social Media Communications. Watching this is like getting a free classroom lesson, a definite watch #TellingItikeItIs #CalgaryMarketing #JadeAlbertsConsulting www.JadeAlbertsConsulting.com

About Ai Addyson-Zhang

She is hosting a weekly Facebook Live show on Education and technology. She launched the show called Classroom Without Walls: Using Technology to Reimagine Education in June 2017. Every Wednesday 5 pm EST she interviews leading professionals and educators regarding issues related to social media, technology, education, and innovation.

Questions we discussed

Q1 What gave you an idea of starting a Live Show on Facebook?

@garyvee has discussed the importance of operating like a media company for both individuals & brands. An essential component to operating like a media company is producing content. – Live video is a more interactive way to create content & to co-create content.

According to @Cisco’s annual Visual Network Index forecast in 2017, video will represent 82% of all IP traffic in 2021.

Also predicted that live video will grow 15-fold, from 3% of internet video traffic to 13% by 2021. Video is going to dominate.

64% of customers are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video

Digital marketing expert, @jmcquivey, estimated that a single minute of video content = 1.8 million words.

On the other hand, my live video journey didn’t start on Facebook. I was a heavy user of Snapchat which trained me to be comfortable with digital storytelling via videos. Start with a platform that you are comfortable with and slowly incorporate live video.

A1 I am very active on YouTube and when they made it easier to go live I decided to #livestream at least once per week. I look forward to my weekly shows #vcbuzz

Well said. Love that last point. Not everyone is comfortable with video. But the best thing is that we don't have to start with videos right away. We can take things slow until we become more comfortable with a platform. #VCBuzz

People do business with people. Live video allows you to be more human & relatable to your audience. It empowers your audience to be part of the content creation process. It’s cost-effective. All you need is a phone & wifi connection.

A2. I actually grew my audience bit by bit since I started live streaming and I allow them to be a part of the recording process of the podcast #vcbuzz

Live video brings more excitement & emotions to product launches, exclusive offers, etc. My live audience has purchased products from my FB guests even though it was their first time to meet. My audience’s trust in me has helped them trust my guests.

People love unedited & unfiltered content. In this video by Airbnb, they asked their audience to guess the location of the scene. Nobody was even talking in the video. Yet, it generated 617K views & 800+ comments. – Watch it. (That’s a 7-minute video by Airbnb! They didn’t even talk during the entire 7 minutes… frankly speaking, it is a kind of “boring” video. but look at the engagement. crazy. no text msg can do that.)

Q3 What are essential steps for starting a show and then succeeding in it?

Do NOT start with producing content first. Instead, start with the end in mind, ie, your business goals

Understand WHY you want to start a live show

What are your business goals? How is your show going to move you closer to your business goals?

Where does your audience hang out?

Are they on Facebook?

Can you keep up with running a show consistently?

How large is your team?

How much is your budget?

Knowing the why is so important. Otherwise, it's just too easy to give up. #VCBuzz

Exactly! need to know your “why” -> to get you going and to help you be more strategic with your content creation.

Develop a community before you need one to support your content => This is very important. Understand your audience’s needs & pain points => this will help you provide content of value to your community.

No need to invest in fancy equipment right away. Give yourself a few months to test out your ideas before you make a heavy financial investment in equipment. Don’t let equipment be your excuse to not live stream.

Fail to plan; plan to fail => Have a content calendar & book your guests in advance

Research your guest

Send your Qs & logistics to your guests

Send reminders to your guests at least 1 week in advance

Help your guests get comfortable with camera

Live show is interactive & immersive. Invite your audience to help you select guests & interview topics. Give your live audience shoutout. Co-create content with your live audience: ask Qs & inviting them to join the live video chat (possible with BeLive).

BE CONSISTENT => this is the most important one probably. Develop a frequency that works for you and show up! Push the damn button as @iSocialFanz and @ChocolateJohnny say.

In this blog post, I shared 7 tips that can help one launch & succeed in facebook live videos.

I am an introvert and I find it easy to interview people who are experts in their respective career fields #vcbuzz. It helped I had a podcast before launching to a live stream format

Me too and Snapchat! He is so real and authentic. I had the honor to see John speak in person. LOVED it.

A4. I basically convert the show into a podcast, then I edit it on youtube for a snippet and then I post the snippet, the podcast episode and the quotes from the show on my business blog #repurpose#vcbuzz